Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

Jan 12 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2100 GMT on Friday:

** U.S. mail management company Pitney Bowes Inc has received takeover interest from private equity firms Blackstone Group LP and Carlyle Group LP, according to the Financial Times, citing a Bloomberg report.

** SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc said on Thursday it would buy DST Systems Inc in a $5.4 billion deal, expanding its financial technology software prowess through its largest deal to date.

** Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd has dropped plans to sell its vehicle finance unit to HNA Group after New Zealand blocked the $460 million deal last month over concerns about the Chinese conglomerate’s ownership structure.

** Investors welcomed supermarket retailer Carrefour’s acquisition of a stake in online fashion retailer Showroomprive.com, and analysts added they wanted more moves by the company in this area.

** Deutsche Bank sees a need for the banking industry to consolidate further and sees Germany’s flagship lender well positioned for that development, deputy Chief Executive Marcus Schenck said.

** The state owners of Germany’s HSH Nordbank may decide to enter exclusive negotiations with one of the remaining bidders for the bank next week as the long-running privatization process nears conclusion, two people close to the matter said.

** The Singaporean billionaire trying to buy Millennium & Copthorne Hotels has hired advisory firm Georgeson to help to drum up investor support for the deal in the face of shareholder opposition that could derail the bid.

** Russian conglomerate Sistema, which has to make a big payment to energy giant Rosneft to settle a business dispute, is in talks with one of the country’s sovereign wealth funds about transferring two of its companies, sources said.

** Telecom Italia(TIM) has pushed back a deadline for binding bids for its broadcasting services unit Persidera to give potential suitors more time to prepare offers, sources close to the matter said.

** Airline Niki’s sale to British Airways parent IAG was thrown into further doubt when a battle between Austrian and German officials over who should handle its insolvency proceedings intensified.

** The French government aims to broaden its powers to block foreign takeovers of French companies deemed as strategic, to also include firms involved in data protection and artificial intelligence (‘AI’), the finance minister said.

** Puma shares tumbled after French parent Kering said it would spin-off the German sportswear group to its shareholders and focus solely on its luxury fashion and jewellery labels.

** Puma has no plans to take on other brands such as Kering’s Volcom for the moment, the German sports brand’s chief executive said.

** CVS Health Inc said that it plans to keep Aetna Inc’s headquarters in Connecticut after it completes its $69 billion acquisition of the U.S. health insurer.

** The Australian competition regulator said it would begin reviewing of the sale of Reckon Ltd’s accounting practice management software business to MYOB Group which was announced in November last year.

** Melrose, the British industrials turnaround specialist, plans to continue to pursue its bid for engineering group GKN, according to a source familiar with the matter.

** GKN rejected as “entirely opportunistic” a 7 billion-pound ($9.6 billion) takeover offer from turnaround specialist Melrose and set out plans to split its business in two, sending shares in the British engineering firm soaring 30 percent.

** Indonesian regional and central government officials signed an agreement with state holding company PT Inalum that lays the foundation for transfer of Freeport-McMoRan Inc’s giant Grasberg copper mine to local control.

** Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has made an offer for Gawker, hoping to overcome legal hurdles and rival bidders for the online news site the billionaire helped shutter by funding litigation against it, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

** Malaysia’s Top Glove Corp Bhd said it has acquired a surgical glove business owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd for 1.37 billion ringgit ($345 million).

** The Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it was pausing its review of Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc’s plan to buy Tribune Media Co. (Compiled by Ahmed Farhatha and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru)